House of Mark Twain Negative $1 Million after Former Employee Walks Out With Twains Money

After caught embezzling more than $1 million from former employer, Mark Twain, Donna Gregor was sentenced to 42 months in prison and three years of supervised release by Judge Warren Eginton of the U.S District Court of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Gregor, 58 years old, is also expected to pay restitution to the author Twain after the lengthy scheme was brought to an immediate holt. According to court documents and in-court statements, Gregor was using various ways to embezzle $1,080,811 from Mark Twain’s house in Hartford around the time frame of 2002 – 2010.
Donna Gregor admitted in August to messing around with the accounting to steal from the already financially troubled business. According to authorities, Gregor was caught submitting false information over the internet to the museums payroll vendor, in which the money would land in her bank account after being deposited under classified payroll advances. She was also allegedly caught using Mark Twain’s house’s check writing system to write checks payable to herself while forging her supervisor’s signatures on those checks.

Gregor used the money to cover her expenses between movie tickets, dining out, mortgage payments, home improvements, credit cards and car payments after reviewing her past bank statements. She admitted to being guilty of one count each of wire fraud and filing a false tax return.

The former Twain employee was caught by a bank employee who questioned the signature on some of the checks being provided, said a board member of the historic home.

For a situation like this, I would say it’s safe to say Gregor probably was never subject to the old saying “If you do the crime, be prepared to do the time”. Because now she not only has wasted 3 and a half years of her life in prison, but, is also well in the hole $500,000 to both the Mark Twain house and the insurance company for having to cover the loss. She also failed to pay federal taxes and was ordered to pay the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the amount of $322,970 on the stolen funds.

I’m sure Mark Twain, author of famous novels such as “Tom Sawyer” and “Huckleberry Finn” has a feeling of relief now I’m sure after having to deal with this whole ordeal. Also, I’m sure he will be paying a closer eye to his accounting office and bank statements.